Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Kindra

I place my hands on the table and shake my head again. A mental war wages on inside my brain.

Yes, this incredibly attractive man has given me some of the most mind-blowing orgasms I've ever experienced, and he makes this horrible retreat almost bearable, but he's also a distraction I don't need. If he's thrown off the island, I'll regain my focus and get that much closer to discovering the identity of my brother's murderer. And after allowing me to eat human meat, he deserves to be cast out.

I raise my head and look at Jim. "Ezra was with me. I don't enjoy airing my personal business, so that's as much as I'm willing to say."

My ass drops back to my chair. I curse myself for providing his alibi and securing his place on the island, but I couldn't rat him out. My pussy overpowered my brain. That's my only excuse.

Just as forks begin clinking against plates and I think we can put this whole thing behind us, a chair scoots across the floor, and Cat gets to her feet.

"I can vouch for him too. I was there," she says.

Fucking fabulous. Now it sounds like we were engaged in some hedonistic threesome on Murder Island. I close my eyes and mentally will her to have a brain aneurysm.

"Well, I can't argue with two people providing an alibi, can I?" Jim says with a smile. "I suppose we'll just have to keep our eyes peeled, hmm?"

Cat nods and sits down, but not before looking at me and shoving a conspicuous wink in my direction. I'd have kicked her shin beneath the table if she'd been in front of instead of beside me.

The remainder of the dinner passes without much fanfare. Dessert is served—a fabulous tiramisu, which I demolish—and many of the guests retreat to the sitting room with Jim for after-dinner cocktails. A cocktail sounds amazing right about now, but so does a good night's sleep.

I walk toward the front of the mansion and step into the night. Instead of the hum of New York traffic, I hear only the sound of waves rushing over sand as I pause at the foot of the steps. Above me, the sky is a tapestry of starlight like I've never seen. The lack of artificial light allows the universe to glow more brightly.

A breeze blows off the water and races over my skin as footsteps approach behind me. I turn and see Ezra drawing closer. Before I can scurry off, he spots me.

"Wait up," he says as he jogs until he's at my side. "I need to thank you for that. I was sure you were about to reveal my secret."

"If you want to return the favor, you can start by helping me figure out which of these killers is AA." I sigh and begin walking down the jungle path toward the villas.

"If I agree to help you discover his identity by the end of the trip, will you go back to the fun Kindra from the hotel?" He keeps pace beside me, and I wish he wouldn't stand so close. His body heat is like waving a packet of cocaine in front of Bobby Brown. I'll slip and do a line of Ezra's dick if I can't get some space.

"I don't think that's a good idea," I say.

"And why is that?"

I stop walking and turn to face him. "Because I find you incredibly attractive and instead of looking for my brother's killer, I'm afraid I'll spend the entire retreat in bed with you."

"And miss all the fun activities? I won't let that happen." He smirks, and I can't decide if I want to kiss him or slap him.

"I don't plan to participate in any of the activities, so that's off the table."

"Not even the basket weaving with intestines demonstration?"

I grimace. "Especially not that one."

We start walking again. As someone who prefers quiet to meaningless conversation, I've never experienced an uncomfortable silence until this moment. It's as if the universe is waiting on two actors who've forgotten their lines. We amble along the overgrown path, our faces occasionally lit by the glow of a tiki torch, but we don't speak again until we reach my villa door.

Standing on the steps, I feel as if I'm preparing to say a final goodbye to a longtime lover. I've known this man for mere days, but I feel as if we've been brought together from another lifetime. His sighs, his smirks, his every expression—I know them all.

Ezra grabs my arm when I turn to go inside, and his firm grip prevents me from moving away from him. "I don't want to go without seeing you again," he says, his voice low. "I'm used to getting what I want, and what I want is you. Multiple times and in every position. The ropes I used on you were just a sampling of the new world I can show you. Just think about that before you make a decision."

My back presses against the door to my villa as I try to keep my legs from collapsing and sending me to the roughly hewn boards under my feet. I want to scream yes, that he can take me right now and help my mind go numb for a few hours, but that's just my vagina talking again.

Sensing my weakening resolve, he steps closer and brushes my hair behind my ear. I'm caged between his powerful arms, and I don't want to escape. He could take me without my consent if that's what he really wanted to do. He's strong enough to break me in half. Yet it's his restraint that drives me wild with need.

Like the slacks cloaking the rock-hard erection pressed against my stomach, he's holding himself back. He's practically shaking from the sheer desire pumping through his body, and that virus is catching.

He leans down, bringing his lips close to mine, but I don't turn my head away. I close my eyes and tilt my head toward his.

"Okay, you two. Time to tell me what the fuck is going on." Cat's voice cuts through the silence—and my sanity.

"What the fuck! You scared me!" I duck beneath Ezra's arm. "How are you so silent now? Any other time, you'd be clomping around like a goddamn Clydesdale, but now you want to live up to your namesake?"

Cat bites her lip and looks between Ezra and me. "I'm interrupting something. I am so sorry."

And yet, she doesn't leave.

"No, nothing to interrupt," Ezra says as he starts down the porch steps. "I was just leaving. I need to get to bed early if I want to do the sunrise horseback riding in the morning."

Cat grabs his arm before he can slink away. "Not so fast. What was all that shit at dinner? If I provided your alibi, the least you can do is tell me why."

I hold up my finger. "Technically, I provided his alibi. You just stuck your nose where it didn't belong."

She ignores me and continues staring at Ezra, who runs his hand through his hair and looks toward the ocean.

"Then again," I add, "I'd also like to know what happened."

With no way out, Ezra turns to us and steps closer so we can hear him as he whispers his misdeeds. "This is the last we'll speak of this, understood?"

We nod, eager to hear about his murderous rampage.

"And if I tell you," he says to me, "you agree to at least consider what I was saying before we were interrupted?"

Fuck, fuck, fuck. "Fine."

Cat and I listen as Ezra spares no details. He spotted Eighties in the hot tub at the Blood Grotto, where he pushed him beneath the frothy water until he stopped moving. Once he was dead, he hoisted him onto the sacrificial slab and painted the stone with Eighties' entrails.

"Doesn't that go against your whole motto to kill only those who deserve it?" I ask.

Ezra turns to me, and the sincerity in his dark eyes sends my stomach into a loop. "If someone hurts you, they deserve to be hurt in return."

"Wow, that's hot," Cat says as she fans her face with her hands.

The moment thoroughly ruined, I groan and turn for the villa. "I'm going to bed. You two have a nice evening."

"Good night, my pet, and remember that you agreed to consider things." Ezra heads off down the beach, and I shake my head as I open the front door.

"Wait, I needed to talk to you about something." Cat follows me inside before I can stop her.

I'm all talked out, and I just want to go to fucking sleep. She's been just as busy as I have, so how is she so bright-eyed and bushy tailed this late in the evening?

"Make it quick," I say. "I'm starting to get another headache."

She sits at the breakfast nook and begins rapping her nails on the table.

"Cat, just fucking spit it out!"

"Okay, okay." Her fingers still and she looks down at her lap, the picture of an admonished child. "Could I spend the night on your couch?"

My mouth falls open.

"It's just...There was a murder today, and now I'm a little scared."

"We literally know the person who murdered him. He just told us. Not to mention the fact that we're all on this island so that we can kill people."

"I know, but it's just so quiet in my villa, and it's so dark outside and?—"

"Just sleep on the couch," I finally say, if for no other reason than to stop her incessant rambling.

Before she can say anything else, I go to my bedroom and close the door, cutting off any more communication. Everything is a mess. I can't keep my panties dry or my brain functional when I'm around Ezra, I've just lied to the event organizer, which almost guarantees he won't be of any help in my search for AA, and now I've been forced into a sleepover with the bane of my existence.

As soon as I've changed into a thin tank top and a comfortable pair of granny panties, I crawl beneath the covers and close my eyes. My brain continues to whirl with thoughts of how I can find the Adonis. A few people can be ruled out, such as the old German guy who likes to air his undercarriage in a Speedo.

I can also ax the guy they call Ice Pick. Unless the woman had nineteen shots of Patron before witnessing the man leaving the scene, there's no way she found him attractive. Per the single witness, the Adonis could melt panties with a single smoldering gaze.

Ezra and Bennett are also off the suspect list. They aren't indiscriminate killers. Like me, they have more discerning palates. If I pay attention to who kills the yellow jumpsuits, that will narrow the options even more.

Satisfied that I've gained some ground in the planning phase of my mission, I try to let my mind drift to sleep.

It's no good. I'm too wired.

Maybe if I get myself off, I can clear my head and stop thinking. I always sleep well after a good orgasm.

I ease out of bed and retrieve my toy from the bag. My thumb fiddles with the buttons until the little device buzzes to life. It's a lot louder than I remember it being, and I shut it off before Cat can hear. I'll have to work myself up to the climax, then use the toy for the big finish.

Climbing into bed, I lie on my back and allow my mind to linger on visions of Ezra. How he looked with his shirt off as he stood on the beach. The way his arms glistened when he reared back and pushed a fist into Eighties' face. The wild way he must have looked while disemboweling the guy for speaking ill of me.

God, he's so perfect.

My right hand dips into my panties, and my left hand cups my breast. I begin working myself up to thoughts of Ezra over me, his sweat dripping onto my skin and his hand around my throat. He unlocked a new kink for me, and I want to experience it again, even if only by myself.

I raise my hand to my throat and try to choke myself the way he choked me, but it's just not the same. I even consider looping a belt around the bedpost and choking myself that way, but that isn't how I want my life to end.

Frustrated, I grip the toy and push it below the comforter. If I throw a pillow over my lap, maybe it will muffle the sound. I try it, and it seems to work.

In my overexuberance as I lose myself to good vibrations and more thoughts of Ezra's sweaty body, the pillow eventually slides off my lap. I'm too close to stop now, so I keep going. I'm about to fly off the edge when a light knock comes from my door.

I scramble to shut off the toy and lower my legs before the door opens. Cat enters just as I'm shoving myself to an inconspicuous sitting position.

"Did you hear that?" she whispers.

I look around. "Hear what? The peaceful silence? The lullaby of the ocean? Why aren't you sleeping?"

She comes and sits on the edge of my bed. "I was almost asleep, but then I heard what sounded like someone running a buzz saw. What if they're dismembering people out there?"

Instead of covering my face with a pillow and screaming, I try to remain calm. To be fair, she looks genuinely frightened. "Cat, they probably are out there dismembering people. Because this is a murder retreat. Where they kill people. Remember?"

"I know, but it's still scary. You're used to this stuff. I'm not. Maybe I've gotten myself in over my head. Maybe I'm not cut out for this."

Truer words have never been spoken, but now is not the time.

"Would it help if you sleep in the bed and I sleep on the couch?" I ask.

She nods. "Yeah, because you'll be closer to the door. Not that I want you to get murdered first, but you have a better chance of fending off a killer than I do."

The girl has an odd way of handing out compliments, but I'll take it. And she's not wrong. I bet she doesn't even sleep with a weapon by the bed.

I grab my things, sneak my toy into my bag, and shuffle off to the couch as Cat situates herself in my comfortable king-size bed. The couch isn't what I would call a luxury accommodation, but at least it's quiet out here.

A little too quiet , I realize as I settle in.

Maybe that's why Cat was so unnerved. When you've grown used to living in a busy city, the lack of manmade noise can leave you feeling a little uneasy. That must be why I feel eyes on me right now.

"There is no one outside the window," I whisper to myself. "Don't let Cat's insanity rub off on you."

But even as I close my eyes and drift off to sleep, I can't shake the feeling that someone is standing just outside. Watching.